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Women's marathon world record-holder the athlete has been banned for three years after the Kenyan confessed to anti-doping rule violations.

The record holder was temporarily banned in July following a failed test for a banned substance - a banned diuretic used commonly as a concealing drug - on March 14.

The athlete's accomplishments which occurred before that test - such as her global best performance of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in the Chicago event in October 2024 - will remain valid.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had sought a 48-month ban but the 31-year-old punishment was lowered to three years because she confessed to the violations.

However, the integrity unit will continue to investigate evidence from the athlete's mobile device which it found suggest "a reasonable suspicion that her failed test may have been intentional" - featuring messages from as early as 2022.

"The case regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been settled, but the unit will continue to investigate the questionable evidence recovered from the runner's phone to determine if any other violations have taken place."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

When interviewed in the fourth month by the integrity body, Chepngetich, the first woman to run a marathon in under 2:10, was unable to give an explanation for the positive test.

While the substance has a minimum reporting level of 20 ng/mL in urine, Chepngetich's test showed an approximate level of 3,800 ng/mL.

Traces of HCTZ below the detection threshold were also found in a test collected from Chepngetich two weeks earlier, on 28 February.

At a later interview on 11 July, the record holder was presented with the previously mentioned suspicious evidence obtained from her mobile. In the meantime, accidental exposure had also been disproven by the authority.

The athlete changed her explanation on July 31, claiming that she had used her domestic worker's pills - marked as being the banned substance - after falling sick 48 hours prior to the failed test.

The AIU had "serious reservations about the reliability of the new version of events" and, in the framework of the sport's doping regulations, such "carelessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year sanction is applicable".

An standard 12-month decrease was applied after Chepngetich confessed to the doping rule violations within the 20 days required.

The three-year ban commenced on April 19 - when the athlete agreed to a voluntary provisional suspension - with the runner's performances, honors, titles, participation and prize money since March 14 lost.

"Nobody is above the rules."

"While unfortunate for those who put their trust in this runner, this is how the process is supposed to work."

"The road-running industry should be praised for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts capable of revealing substance abuses performed by elite athletes in their races."